Saturday, December 20, 2014

This time
of year, I almost always feel a sense of urgency to pen a Christmas letter that
captures like never before the essence of the season. The written word
has been around a long time. The likelihood of mixing and matching words sufficiently
as to arrive at something entirely new, innovative, and never before achieved in
the long, celebrated history of the medium, is about as likely as discovering
the one true Santa emerging from your hearth on Christmas morning. For most of us, our most enchanting Christmas memories are from our youth. To fully
experience the magic and majesty of Christmas, it’s almost essential to
approach it with a childlike faith. The older we get, the more difficult
that becomes. In order to recapture the true essence of Christmas, one
must do it with a minimum of words, from the purest and most youthful depths of
our heart. That’s my hope for each and every one of us this season, that
the spirit of Christmas can purify, cleanse and relieve us of our years of
apprehension, disillusionment and animosity, and allow us once more to experience
the magical Christmas of our earliest memories; pure, simple and unadulterated;
a Christmas awash in the warmth, joy and unconditional fellowship that comes of
an innocent heart and a childlike faith. Dear God, help us once more to
approach, Christ, Christmas and each other, with open arms, forgiving hearts,
and the incorruptible innocence of our youth. In this age of cynicism, apathy
and doubt, we hear many disparaging comments about Christmas. People despair over its commercialism,
the financial strain it tends to create for some, and the anxiety and
depression it causes in others. We’re told of its origins in pagan tradition
and how Christmas trees and Christmas gifts and all the traditional trappings
of Christmas were swiped from various archaic cultures down through the ages.
We’re told by wise and learned experts that it can be conclusively determined
that Christ wasn’t even born in December. What are we to think? I’ll tell you what I think. I think that for myself and many
others, our memories of Christmas past and our hopes for Christmas future may
well be the very essence of what makes our lives worth living. For us, the
spirit of Christmas and everything that the true meaning of Christmas embodies
is a fundamental element in our faith, our happiness, our very existence, and
everything we treasure in our lives. It’s our memories of Christmas past that
strengthen our resolve to keep Christmas vital and alive, and see to it that
children for generations to come can experience the joy we knew on those
cherished mornings long ago, when we gathered together with precious souls we
miss with all our hearts, and shared the precious, incomparable gift of
Christmas. SC

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

On the afternoon of the fifth
day, a bitter north wind whipped down from the high country. The storm returned
with a vengeance and the temperature dropped to around thirty degrees. I pulled my chair closer to the potbellied stove
and poured myself some coffee from the gray granite pot. As twilight
approached, I sat staring out the window and listening to the moan of the
howling wind as it tore at the shingles and rattled the chimney cap. I could hear the hiss of sleet as it began
filling the ruts and hoof prints in the muddy street, and icicles began to form
and hung in profusion from the eaves. The sleet came down fitfully against the
window, and periodically a gust of wind would find its way down the stovepipe
and the old cast iron heater would belch smoke from around its dampers and red
hot lid. After a while, the rough plank
roof began dripping and leaking like a sieve, and one by one a strategically
placed company of pots and kettles joined in a chorus of plinks, plops and
piddles, as they filled quickly with their captured leakage and began splashing
rhythmically on the floor. Clearing a
spot on the frosted windowpane, I squinted and peered outside. The snow was
coming down in earnest now, and the street was entirely abandoned, with the
exception of a few hardy souls on the boardwalk by the bell tower. I warmed a
blanket for myself, kicked back in my chair, and leaned against the wall. The stove dampers were wide open, and I
remember watching the firelight dancing on the wall, then the cobwebs came and
darkness took me in. SC

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Twilight
arrived early that evening. The storm abated, and despite occasional flurries,
the moon shone down at intervals through a partly cloudy sky, lending an eerie
translucence to the scene and casting curious shadows on the glimmering snow. The
breathtaking beauty of the mountains once more overcame me. The magnificent ponderosa pines leaned and
swayed precariously, each bow hanging heavy, laden with a mantel of white. The air was still and silent, with only the
occasional pop of an overburdened limb disturbing the quiet as it echoed from
the canyon beyond. I stood for a long
time, shivering and staring awestruck across the snow-covered Sierras. I’ve never experienced air fresher, shadows
deeper, or a scene so extraordinarily quiet and pristine. You’ll laugh and think I’m crazy, but it
seemed as though I could almost hear the stars.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

{From
the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America, 1787}

“We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more
perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of
Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.”

The
greatest thing about being an American is having roots from all over the world,
and living in a society that recognizes, promotes, and celebrates that
diversity. My ancestors arrived in the Colonies prior to the Revolutionary War.
My Casebeer ancestor, Johan Kasebier, arrived from Germany in 1724, and my Camp
and Daniels ancestors arrived in the Colonies from England in the 1630s.
My great grandfather, Henry Stancil, was French Canadian, and Scotch Irish
roots run deep in my family tree. Each branch of the family sent sons to war to
provide the freedoms we Americans enjoy today. Other family members, such as my
great grandfather, Calvin Casebeer, fought to preserve the Union during the
Civil War, and my father, Leo Don Casebeer served on the Battleship New Jersey
during World War II.

Freedom
is every heart’s desire and every just government’s goal, but prior to our
Constitution, liberty was a mighty illusive concept. My ancestors risked all
they had in their quests for freedom, because in case after case, their
homelands had very little appetite for religious freedoms. In far too
many cases, Kings, Queens, and yes, far too often, powerful religious
institutions, dictated religious beliefs. Bigotry, intolerance and bondage were
generally the result, and the freedom we enjoy today was little more than a
dream.

Our
Constitution and America’s other historical documents demonstrate very clearly
that America’s collective conscience, as reflected by our chosen leaders,
requires constant scrutiny and surveillance. Even in a democracy of, by,
and for the people, justice and equality are only as perfect as the conscience
of that people. Even America’s grand and glorious democracy reflects not
only our goodness but also our greed. Freedom is not a privilege to be
taken lightly. Freedom is a right and a responsibility, a perishable
torch to be diligently tended and faithfully passed along. Freedom burns
within our hearts, ignited by the founding fathers, and it falls to us to keep
that flame alive. America’s most trusted and time-honored institutions are only
as righteous as the hearts of our citizens, our most godly leaders only as just
as the collective conscience of their constituents and the most telling measure
of a nation’s heart is the compassion of its people.

As a people, we
have much to be thankful for this holiday season. As a nation, we benefit from the efforts of all
the dedicated people who have secured the freedom we enjoy today, and from a wealth
of historical documents like the following extraordinarily relevant
proclamation. SC

A Proclamation.

By the President
of the United States of America.

Washington,D.C.

October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with
the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which
are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which
they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that
they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually
insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a
civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to
foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been
preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been
respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the
theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by
the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and
of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have
not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the
borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the
precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population
has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the
camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness
of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years
with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any
mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the
Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath
nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they
should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart
and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow
citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and
those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last
Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our
beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that
while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular
deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our
national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those
who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil
strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the
interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to
restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full
enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the
Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

I’m frequently bewildered
by the attitude of some Christians who will insist passionately on one hand
that the Lord created this planet, saw that it was good, and then created
mankind as its caretakers, to dress and keep it. And then, in the next breath
tell you they feel absolutely no responsibility to act as good stewards of the
earth, because it’s all going to burn up anyway. Christians have anticipated
the second coming of Christ for over two thousand years.We may well continue doing so for two
thousand more.To me, it seems
reasonable to believe that anyone professing to follow the teachings of Christ,
doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with their God, would have
compassion and empathy for the generations of mankind, and all creatures great
and small, who will inherit an earth reflecting, dependant largely on our
stewardship, either the bounty and blessings of God’s original creation, or an
infested and withered shell. God expects us to be faithful stewards of
everything with which He has entrusted us.And, according to my Bible, there will come a day when we’ll each be
held accountable. SC

Saturday, November 15, 2014

When I was very young, I
was occasionally blessed to spend time with my great grandmother at her home on
Reservoir Hill.My favorite room was the
kitchen.Even now, I can close my eyes and
picture it in every detail; just as it looked those long years ago. I can see
the old wood range in the corner of the cozy kitchen, and hear the clanking of
its lids as great Grandma painstakingly brought the range to life. I remember
how the nickel handles and black cast iron stovetop shone in the flickering
light of the coal oil lamp as she polished them with a wax covered bread
wrapper. I smell the sulfur and see the flash and flutter of the wooden match as
she lit the crumpled newspaper, the sound of the dampers being opened, and the crackling
of the fire as Grandma carefully fed kindling to the growing flame. I remember
peeking in through the open dampers at the glowing embers on the grate,
watching their light dancing on the wall, and gazing up at the warming oven in
expectation of the golden brown treasures that would soon be steaming inside. And
my mouth literally waters at the memory of aromas as Grandma began to cook; the
sizzling of the bacon, the fragrance of frying eggs, and the enticing aroma of
coffee in the graniteware pot. Thank you Lord for grandmas and for memories of
our youth, and the joy it brings to share them with our friends.SC

Friday, November 14, 2014

The eclectic,
dynamic, philosophical populace which comprises the vast middle and virtual
heart of this incomparable republic knows well where we’ve been, appreciates
where we’re at, and anticipates with great hope where we are going. It’s
sad that some won’t follow, but it’s time to let them go, and strive onward
ever onward toward our goal. Our goal, much like that of our nation’s founding
fathers, is quite simple: a more perfect union, and the greatest degree of
liberty achievable within a framework of just laws, assistance for those who
require assistance, and fundamental environmental safeguards. Despite their
obstructionism, those who oppose our goals must be held blameless. Some are led
by their better angels to rise above their ignorance and base, primordial
natures and strive for high ideals, while others, by their natures, are unable.
It’s not their fault, and we must feel pity rather than petulance for them, but
we must under no circumstances allow them to hinder us from our cause or rob us
of our joy in its pursuit.

Since its inception,
our Republic has emerged slowly but steadily from the world’s history of
bigotry, racism and intolerance, toward a more just, merciful and compassionate
society. At this moment in time, our country is more polarized than at any time
since our Civil War, but this is one moment in time. We survived our Civil War
and we will survive this. Martin Luther king Jr. said, “The arc of the moral
universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Despite the greed and corruption
that will always be a threat to the greater good and the common man, more than
ever in the history of the world, our society as a whole seeks enlightenment
and justice. And today more than ever, those things are attainable if we rein
in our petty, partisan differences and work together for truth, justice and the
American way. SC

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

I realize there are many who prefer to believe that if they prayerfully point out a problem, the Lord will fix it. I'm no theologian, but in my experience, your prayers are likely to be more effective if you step out in faith and ask the Lord to help you fix the problem.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

“Raccoon up the ‘simmon tree, ‘possum
on the ground. ‘Possum says to the ol’
raccoon, shake them ‘simmons down!” Like
the opossum, I generally have to wait until some more industrious critter
knocks some persimmons down. I just
returned from Littlethicket, where I enjoyed several handfuls which I collected
off the ground. While folks will insist
that persimmons are best enjoyed after the first frost, if I hold off until
then, the ol’ raccoons are fat and sassy, and the persimmons are only a memory.
Having returned to the house, I’ll now wash the bitter aftertaste away with a
bit of gin & tonic, and then settle in and determine whether or not I’m
sufficiently fortified to subject myself to the national news. Have a good
evening. SC

Years ago I was a member of a
little country church. On numerous occasions our preacher would descend from
the pulpit and announce; “Now I’m going to talk to you like I love you.”That’s what I intend to do now.Each
of us begins our lives with high hopes and lofty expectations. In order to fulfill
those expectations, most of us marry.Fully aware that many marriages fail, we press onward, confident that
our relationship will beat the odds and flourish forever.Years pass, life happens; hardships bring
disillusionment and despair.Our marriages
become tedious and we struggle with the prospect of living the rest of our
lives and never again enjoying a mutually fulfilling relationship. Eventually we
despair and consider other options.Don’t
do it.You’ll never replace those early
years of a mutually fulfilling marriage.Relationships with those with whom we share a history can’t be
reproduced or replaced. Don’t try.During
difficult times, immerse yourself in memories of better days.Devote yourself to mutual goals. Deepen
your appreciation for shared experience and
achievements.Celebrate family and its
many rewards. Reconcile yourself to the fact that, while you can’t go back, happiness
can be found by moving forward and recommitting yourself to the life you’ve
built together. Your best hope for contentment
in the autumn of your life is the celebration of seasons that you’ve shared. Shower
your spouse with unconditional love and make certain everyday you’re worthy of
theirs.SC

Looking back, our lives whiz by before we know
what hit us. We spend our first thirty
years thinking about our future, the second thirty thinking about our past, and
our last year’s wondering what the hell we were thinking! The older I get, the more adamant I become in
my belief that we should start out old and grow younger every year. On each successive anniversary of our birth,
we could assemble all our friends and family for a truly heartfelt celebration,
and joyously remove one candle from our cake.
What could be better than to spend the first fifty years of our life,
looking forward to becoming a little boy, and tormenting little girls! SC

Note: In my current efforts to be the very best I can be (or at least look a little younger) I've shaved off the mustache and done away with the gray. What do ya think?

Saturday, September 27, 2014

This little post will not be well received. So be it. Down through the eons of time,
empires, dynasties and eminent civilizations, have achieved great heights, and
then come down like the salmon leaves of autumn, brought low by the same
troublesome human nature that has hobbled mankind since Cain cudgeled Abel.
Learned philosophers and renowned historians have devoted their lives to the
study of these events, producing ponderous, voluminous anthologies, which grace
the shelves of celebrated centers of higher learning all over the world. And today, when similar behavior threatens
our own aspiring metropolis, we scratch our heads and wring our hands and
wonder what the hell happened. I feel
tremendous empathy for people as individuals. As a species, I think we’re
highly overrated. Some of you are aware of the French Revolution, the Russian
Revolution, and all variety of other revolutions, huge revolutions, small
revolutions and tiny little revolutions which were never even recorded, because
nobody survived to tell the tale. What caused all these catastrophes? The answer is simple: greed. It’s a common
and too often repeated cycle. A small
percentage of people accumulate unimaginable wealth, and this allows them to
make the rules. Not surprisingly, they make more rules which allow them to accumulate
more wealth. Eventually these people have accumulated most of the wealth and as
a result they make most of the rules.
This cycle reaches a point where these people are so embarrassed by
their wealth that they support social programs in order to keep other less
fortunate people from starving. This downward spiral continues and eventually
the wealthy and privileged classes reconcile themselves to their inexcusable
wealth, and begin doing away with social programs in order to reduce their own
taxes. This cycle continues to spiral out of control until eventually the impoverished
masses take desperate steps in order to feed their starving children, heads
roll and rivers of blood run through the streets. In our society today, we hold
elections. During these elections people
have a choice. They can vote for people
who are aware of these devastating cycles and thus strive to prevent them, or
they can vote for others whose campaigns are funded by the privileged class,
who sit behind their mahogany desks, on their ever expanding posteriors, and
lay others off, in order to cushion their own luxurious retirement. Soon you will have your opportunity to
vote. Give this cycle some thought and vote
accordingly. SC

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

This is almost certain to get
me in trouble. So be it. In a few
months, Lord willing, I’m going to turn 63. I’m going to share with you one of
the most important things I’ve learned over the last 63 years. If you love someone, tell them. I’m not talking about being promiscuous, and
I’m not suggesting you be unfaithful to your spouse. I’m just talking about
good, wholesome, Christian compassion.
I’m talking about being demonstratively compassionate, just like Christ
suggests. In JOHN, chapter 15, Christ
says, “9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.
Now remain in my love.10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my
love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and that your joy may be complete.12My command is this: Love each other as I have
loved you.” I suggest
you highlight this scripture and practice it always, regardless of the
consequences. And if you love someone,
tell them. They deserve to know. SC

Monday, September 15, 2014

Once again the dogwoods are the
early harbingers of approaching autumn. Soon
the sassafras and sumac will contribute their pastel hues of orange and
scarlet. Once again we anticipate the taste of ripe persimmons, the appearance
of the ubiquitous pumpkin, the plaintive calls of southbound geese, and all the
traditional trappings of harvest. Despite all these pleasant expectations, the
close of summer and approach of fall invariably result in a feeling of
melancholy for me. As a young man I
tended to envision time as a vast, unlimited resource; time it seemed was an
inexhaustible sea. Now in the autumn of
my life, each hour is increasingly precious, and I thirst for each minute as it
drips away from an alarmingly finite pool.
It seems now a natural tendency to weigh the substantial pile of spent
autumns which I find behind me, against the increasingly dwindling weight of
those that I might reasonably expect to find ahead. Still, fall is traditionally
and unquestionably a time of thanksgiving and celebration. We take stock of a year rapidly waning; brace
ourselves against winter’s icy chill, thank God for our many blessings during
the innocuous months now behind, and pray with some trepidation that our careful
preparations thus far will prove sufficient to see us through to spring. In the
meantime, prepare the table, cherish friends, and enjoy the incomprehensible feast
of life. SC

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Abraham Lincoln on a motorcycle. Oh my! I'll never forget
Abraham! Abe was way ahead of me in school, but that didn't make no difference,
and we was all in the one room anyhow. I remember his hat too. That was a dandy
hat! He always wore that hat when we went to the theater. It held twice the
popcorn of one of them big buckets. Mary never liked his hat. She said it made
his ears look big. I never cared for Mary. SC

George Warshington on a
motorcycle. Oh my! I’ll never forget George. Georgie was way older than us. We’d see him at a dance or somethin’. The
girls most always made fun of ‘im. Said ya
couldn’t hardly kiss ‘im that ya didn’t wind up with slivers. Hogwash!
Georgie had perfectly good teeth.
He generally left ‘em home, but there wasn’t nothin’ wrong with ‘em. And then there was that cherry tree
incident. More foolishness! Why, Georgie had nothin’ what so ever to do
with that. I done that myself. And to tell the honest truth, I’m glad I done
it. SC